Lee Jun-seok, the captain, was among 15 crew members of the 6,825-ton ferry Sewol who had been arrested on various criminal charges, including accidental homicide. They were accused of fleeing their ship while making little effort to save hundreds of passengers who had been told to stay inside the vessel. Their behavior has outraged many South Koreans.

On Thursday, while indicting the 15 crew members, prosecutors brought more serious murder charges against four of them: Mr. Lee; two ship’s mates, Kang Won-sik and Kim Young-ho; and the ferry’s chief engineer, Park Gi-ho...

If convicted on the charges, the four could face the death penalty.

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Five officials at the company that operates the ferry have also been arrested for "overloading the ship and neglecting safety measures;" prosecutors say the ship was carrying far too much cargo and not enough ballast water when it tilted and sank.